Penguin of Madagascar
I talked before about how school forces students to read specific books. Many times, this results in creating people who see reading as a chore. It’s a big challenge to meet course curriculum standards and not sacrifice the individual in this scenario. Still, people make it through relatively . . . Well, not scathed enough to give up on books. I’m sure we all have our own stories about this, so let’s see what we have.
- What is the best story you were forced to read? (My answer: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.)
- What is the worst story you were forced to read? (My answer: The Pearl by John Steinbeck.)
- If you had to choose one book to have students read, what would it be? (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.)
Legends of Windemere 
!. For Whom the Bell Tolls; 2. The Great Gatsby; 3. The Color Purple
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I think The Color Purple shows up in some curriculum these days.
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That’s great!
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1. Little Dorrit by Dickens. I resented reading this because it was soooooo long and I had other classes with a ton of reading. But I wound up loving it. The PBS miniseries was excellent. 😊
2. Ulysses by James Joyce. I wouldn’t say it was the worst, though I didn’t like it. I never finished it.
3. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin or A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle if someone wants to dip a toe in the waters of genre fiction. 😊
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Classic fantasy book like Earthsea would be great.
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The best story I was forced to read was On the Beach by Neville Shute.
The worst story I was forced to read was Moby Dick
One book I would have students read would be The Stories of John Cheever.
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Moby Dick was a tough read and I did it willingly.
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I did not enjoy it.
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Best read: Peter Abelard by Helen Waddell.
Worst read: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Good story, but I found the writing difficult.
Recommend: Dune by Frank Herbert. Or The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. But I don’t somehow thing that genre fiction will show up any time soon.
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Genre fiction doesn’t get used in school for some reason. Not unless it’s a special class on that genre. I wonder about using ‘Wheel of Time’ though. That’s a big series and I don’t think teachers like using first volumes of something because it means there won’t be any closure.
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Best: The Hobbit
Worst: Siddhartha
Recommend: Pillars of the Earth by Follet, maybe.
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Never read that worst one. That bad?
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Yes.
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1) What is the best story you were forced to read?
Shakespeare’s play, The Twelfth Night, was funny and I liked the heroine.
2) What is the worst story you were forced to read?
Madam Bovary, I think. The main character just seemed to do dumb things.
3) If you had to choose one book to have students read, what would it be?
My gut impulse is Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, but they’re too violent for a school setting. So I think maybe Naomi Novik’s Spun in Silver, which deals with anti-semitism (and wizards!). I like the Earthsea suggestion, too.
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I always think Madam Bovary is about cows.
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1. Lord of the Flies
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Illusions by Richard Bach
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That second one has shown up before. Guess it isn’t as beloved as I thought.
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For me, it was like wading through glue. Just reading it was bad enough – analysing it was beyond my capabilities. I did all my exam revision from Coles Notes.
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Best: To Kill a Mockingbird. Worst is a tie: Beowulf and Moby Dick. Recommended: Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
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I did like that first one.
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🙂
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